Reallöhne: Löhne in Deutschland steigen stärker als die Preise

In Germany, wages continue to rise faster than consumer prices, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office. In the second quarter of 2026, workers' earnings increased by 1.5 percent compared to the same period last year. The real wages grew by 1.8 percent in the first quarter of the year, marking the first time since the first quarter of 2023 that real wages had increased.

The last real wage decline occurred in the first quarter of 2023. Malte Lübker from the WSI Tarifarchiv of the trade union Hans-Böckler-Stiftung commented that a growing real wage is a positive sign for both employees and the economy. However, it's important to note that this comparison blurs the fact that workers previously suffered significant losses in purchasing power due to high inflation.

Compared to the second quarter of 2019, pre-crisis levels, real wages only increased by 0.6 percent. In the April-June period of the current year, nominal wage growth was reported at 4.1 percent, while consumer prices increased by 2.5 percent.